The day in day out happenings of a family of three discovering and enjoying domestic life in the District

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Back Porch Sitting...One Day

On this snowy end-of-March day, I thought I'd write about a project we started in the Fall, and are looking forward to finishing once Spring weather is here to stay! The end goal is to sit on our back porch with friends on a Summer evening enjoying a good meal and the evening breeze. A warm thought to hold on to for a day like today.

In early October, we decided to get the first step of our back porch renovation underway before the temperature dropped. On a Saturday while our son slept, we prepped the porch for the work to begin. On our initial to-do list was to strip the paint off the brick wall, clean off and repaint the bead board wall, repaint the black wrought iron railing and steps, and paint the door to the garage. We are hoping to have this space in usable condition by mid Spring of this year.

First, a few before shots of the back porch, which has three walls, a set of wrought iron steps that lead from the porch to the dog leg next to our house, then into the garage:

The wall to the left when you enter the porch from the kitchen.

The brick wall, which can be seen from the kitchen windows.

The ceiling, which obviously had some weather damage (and took an entire week to address- more to come on that soon.)

To get started, we came up with a list of an order of operations, to make the most use of our time. Starting with the paint stripper, which requires 24 hours to work its magic. Ken got to work applying the Citrus Strip, which you may remember is one of my favorite demolition/restoration products!

Once the Citrus Strip was applied (liberally and with an old paint brush and some gloves) We got to work using a flat black paint to repaint our iron banister and steps. Before starting this, I used steel wool to remove dirt, debris, and any rust on the stairs. It is especially important when working with exterior surfaces to be diligent to remove any loose material before painting. Otherwise, the new coat of paint will just flake, and all your work will be in vain.

Once the Citrus Strip cures on the wall for 24 hours, we will scrape it off (and the paint along with it) using this basic scraper and a gritty brush pad.

I think being mid-project is a great place to be, especially when the next step is clearly laid out. In this project, it was painting the door to the garage.

Domestic In The District

Just a guy and a girl who fell in love, got married, and started building their life together in the District.
So far that life has included a love for travel, a career change, an on-going home renovation, wonderful meals as a family and with dear friends, and the addition of a son.